Headlines / Quote of the Week
Fri., March 14, 2025
Government Shutdown Looms: With less than three days left on the clock, Senate Democrats are weighing their options for passing a stopgap bill that would avert a government shutdown, Politico reports. Eight Democrats need to support the bill for it to pass, but only one has indicated that they will. Other Democrats say they want to avoid a shutdown, but they don’t want to encourage President Trump’s slashing the federal government.
“Palestinian” Chuck Schumer: President Trump called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “a Palestinian” and “a proud member of Hamas” during an Oval Office meeting Wednesday, Politico reports. Trump was defending his government spending bill, which still needs to pass the Senate, as well as his policies on corporate taxes.
School Voucher Fight Continues: In a public hearing Tuesday, Texas House members heard testimony on House Bill 3, which would create a school voucher-like program, in which the state would provide $10,000 per child for students going to private schools. Though the money wouldn’t come directly from public school funds, because public schools get funding based on the number of students attending, public schools would likely lose cash. Whether wealthy families should be able to benefit from the program was at the heart of the debate this week, The Texas Tribune reported. Proponents argued it would allow families to have more choices for their children’s education while others warned it would take away much-needed money from public schools.
All Bets Are Off: Meanwhile in the Texas House, 12 House Republicans said they wouldn’t support any measures to legalize casinos or sports betting. Bills related to both have been filed this session but none have made it to committee, The Texas Tribune reports. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick crushed a measure to legalize gambling from 2023 and says there’s little support for it this session.
Mounting Pressure On Mexico: Over in the Texas Senate, lawmakers have advanced a resolution urging the U.S. State Department to enforce a 1944 water treaty, The Texas Tribune reports. Under the treaty, Mexico is obligated to provide 1.75 million acre-feet of water over five years, but they’ve fallen behind. The lack of water is impacting farmers in South Texas to the tune of $993 million in lost economic value per year.
Chips Act Under Attack: Jumping back to Washington, D.C., two Texas Republicans in Congress defended the CHIPS Act, passed by Biden in 2022, after Trump called the program “ridiculous” and asked the law be rescinded, The Texas Tribune reported. Rep. Michael McCaul and Sen. John Cornyn said the act has created many jobs and incentivized semiconductor production both in Texas and in the United States as a whole.
Grappling With Measles: The measles outbreak is once again exposing the lack of public health infrastructure in rural Texas, The Texas Tribune reports. Some rural counties have no hospitals or primary care physicians, and the lack of resources for public awareness campaigns only worsens the issue. Rural areas are having to make do with makeshift testing centers and homemade pressure rooms to isolate patients.
Tax-Teroid Belt: Mayor Kirk Watson warns that “budget asteroids” could hit Austin as a result of tariffs and other tax-related issues, inducing bond costs, which might increase if their federal tax exemption is removed. The Austin Monitor reports that federal action on tax exemptions for bond funds could add $22 million in for every $100 million of existing debt. As American Rescue Plan spending reaches its end, Watson also worries about affordable housing in the coming months.
Affordable Internet: In Austin, the Community Technology and Telecommunications Commission has plans to address digital equity for the 2026 fiscal year, the Monitor reports, with the aim of addressing disparities in access to internet and digital devices along socioeconomic lines. The solution? The commission proposes a few remedies, recommending an affordable device distribution program, free digital training programs, and public internet access across Austin.
24/7 Mental Health Line: Austin’s 911 mental health call line will operate all day and night, KUT reports. The program is expanding to 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to accommodate the high number of calls the line receives. In a world that is increasingly prioritizing mental health care, Austin wants to ensure there is accessible mental health consolation around the clock, including follow-up calls checking in on patients.
Influential Owl: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has brought back their internet personality, Athena the great horned owl. The center has launched a livestream for the second year in a row, KUT reports, providing viewers a glimpse of the beloved owl from their own homes. As her owlets hatch and interact with each other, the center hopes that the owls will inspire nature conservation among viewers.
Skyrocketing Student Loans: This week KUT took a look at one Austinite whose student loan payments are skyrocketing, though she’s not alone. The U.S. Department of Education is not processing applications for income-driven repayment plans after a court ruling, and for Ashley Morgan that means her monthly payments will shoot from $507 to $2,464. “When I logged in and I saw that my payments were going to go up in April to over $2,400 a month, my stomach dropped and I just started bawling. I didn’t know what I was going to do,” she told KUT.
Sustainable Getaway: Wimberley’s majestic Blue Hole Regional Park is adding a nature center, KUT reports. With a $3 million bond from Parks and Recreation, the center will provide immersive educational experiences for visitors and implement water reuse practices in its infrastructure. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 as Wimberley continues pursuing sustainable projects citywide.
Local Judge Joins Trump Admin: North of Austin, Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell has resigned to take a role with Trump administration, KUT reported Tuesday. He will serve in the U.S. Small Business Administration and will be responsible for representing business interests in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.
Quote of the Week
“If we see the volume of patients exceeds the number of beds available at children’s hospitals, we’re going to need a contingency plan.”
– Melanie Richburg, CEO of the Lynn County Hospital District, discussing measles
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